Respiratory Infections News

Advance apologies are in order: This month’s column discusses the cold-blooded theoretical business and financial impacts of the emerging coronavirus pandemic and overlooks entirely the much more important human drama now playing out in the world’s headlines.

Officials in Washington state announced four additional deaths from COVID-19, bringing the national toll to six deaths — all in Washington.

The CDC and National Tuberculosis Controllers Association, or NTCA, has published updated recommendations for latent tuberculosis, or LTBI, in the MMWR for the first time since 2000.

Traces of COVID-19 were detected in the saliva of 11 of 12 patients infected with the virus, suggesting that saliva may be a “promising, noninvasive specimen” for the diagnosis, monitoring and infection control of the virus, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

ASOLO, Italy — With 821 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, Italy is the third-most affected country worldwide and has seen the most infections in Europe. The highest number of cases are in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto — both “engines” of the Italian economy. To date, the death toll has risen to 21, with most occurring in senior citizens over age 70 years with pre-existing conditions.

President Donald J. Trump announced Wednesday that Vice President Mike Pence will lead the United States COVID-19 response.

On Feb. 14, the FDA released a statement about its response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, noting that it is “keenly aware” that the outbreak will, in all likelihood, affect the medical supply chain. According to the release, the FDA has deployed additional resources to help determine possible weaknesses in the U.S. medical product sector caused by the outbreak. The agency has also been proactive in trying to identify potential disruptions and shortages, according to the release, instead of “waiting for drug and device manufacturers to report shortages to us.”

An American who was quarantined aboard a cruise ship docked in Japan is the first participant in an NIH-sponsored U.S. trial that will evaluate the investigational antiviral for the treatment of COVID-19.

The White House is seeking $2.5 billion in total resources to fight COVID-19 in the United States, including more than $500 million in funding that was previously allocated for the U.S. Ebola virus response.

Researchers identified Egypt, Algeria and South Africa as the African countries at highest risk for imported cases of COVID-19 from China. However, they said countries found to be at moderate risk — including Nigeria and Ethiopia — are less prepared and more vulnerable to a potential outbreak, suggesting a need for support to handle future imported cases.